Door controlling mechanism



June 3, 1952 O. W. WOOD DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed July 21, 1949 WIN 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR.

Ouvze. 61/. 00 00 June 3, 1952 o. w. WOOD 2,598,958

DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed July 21, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. OLA 41 (1/ 4/000 Patented June 3, 1952 noon CONTROLLING MECHANISM Oliver W. Wood, Rahway, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to National Pneumatic 00., Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application July 21, 1949,.Serial No. 106,062

2 Claims.

This invention relates to door controlling mechanism and particularly to mechanism adapted to provide mechanical storage of energy during the opening of a door (or associated combination of doors) which energy is thereafter effective to return the door (or door combination) to the closed position, the latter being the normal position.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel combination and association of elements adapted to function with such a door closing mechanism in a novel manner to produce the following results:

A. The positive mechanical locking, of the door (or door combination) in its closed position so that the door (or door combination) will automatically resist and defeat all opening efforts exerted by persons pressing or leaning against the door in an endeavor to move it from its closed position.

B. The concentration of control over the release of said locking means at a point remote from the door itself (as, for example, the station occupied by the driver of a vehicle having such a door for the entrance and/or exit of passengers).

C. The interlocking of the component elements in such manner that the door (or door combination) can not be moved from its closed position, even by the operation of the remote control means above referred to, so long as any person is actually pressing or leaning against the doorthis novel feature being of great importance in certain situations, as where the door (or door combination) to be controlled is so situated that it opens into a roadway or passageway that is inherently hazardous, so that a person might be injured by the unexpected opening of the door. D. The inclusion in the system of means for controlling the operation of some mechanism additional to the door operating mechanism, as for example the mechanism for applying the brakes of a vehicle on which the complete system is installed; also, if desired, signaling means for indicating what is occurring. 7

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent upon examination of the following description and the accompanying drawings relating to one embodiment of the invention; the illustrated and described .embodiment being of course merely one of many possible forms in which the invention may be practicedv without departing from the principles thereof intended to be embraced herein. In the accompanying drawings, Figure -1 isa diagrammatic representation of'major component elements of the system together with electrical and mechanical'connections therebetween; V

Figure 2 is a view in elevation showing the upper portions of related swing doors constituting a door combination, together with the mechanism of the invention for controlling the closing and locking of the door combination;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is another view of a portion of the mechanism of Figure 3; the view being taken of the illustrated parts in different relative positions from those illustrated in Figure 3; and

Figures 5, 6, and 7 are views on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism, particularly the locking mechanism, illustrated in the preceding figures; the successive views 5, 6 and 7 being illustrative of successive positions assumed by the related parts as the locking mechanism moves through a cycle of operation. I I

Referring first to Figures 2 and 3, the invention is there shown as applied to a pair of swinging doors one of which consists of panels 8 and 9 and the other having correspondin panels In and II; the panels 9 and [0 being vertically hinged to the panels 8 and II respectively as indicated at I2 and I3, and the panels 8 and II being rigidly secured, as by plates I4, IE to vertical shafts I6 and H respectively, the latter being rotatable in bearings l8, 19 respectively secured to a mounting plate 20 extending horizon tally across the upper portion of the passageway that is normally closed by the door panels 8l I, The rotation or rocking of the shafts I6 and I! occurs in unison by reason of the provision of the common operating mechanism linking the shaft IS with the shaft ll. As shown, this common linking mechanism includes a rocker bar 2| centrally pivoted upon a vertically disposed mounting post 22 (shown best in Figure 2) that is integral with or rigidly fastened to the horizontal mounting plate 20 or an auxiliary plate 23 superimposed thereon; the rocker bar 2| being provided with a central reinforcing boss 24 adapted to receive a bearing pin 25 to rotatably support the rocker bar 2| as it pivots about the said bearing pin 25 and the mounting post 22. The common linking mechanism also includes a pair of levers 26 and 21 having sockets 28 and 29, respectively, adapted to operatively connect with the upper ends of the door operating shafts I6 and II, respectively, and secured in position thereon by the securing nuts 3| and 32, respectively, adapted'tobe threaded to the upper ends of said haf s '6. and. Th ,m. h m. i rt cr includes adjustable links 33 and 34 having socket ends for pivotal connection with both the rocker bar 2| and the respective levers 26 and 21. By means of the linkage just described, it will be apparent that the swinging. of the door 89, for example, toward open position, will cause a corresponding and simultaneous swinging of the door |8|'|. The means whereby this swinging of the doors produces a mechanical storage of energy that is subsequently efiective to return the doors to the closed position will now be described;

The energy storing and door closingmechanism includes a cylinder 4| having end caps 42 and 43 one of which cooperates with or is integral, with a fitting 44 pivoting on thebase plate 20, While.

the other cylinder cap 42 is centrally apertured to permit the passage therethrough of a rod 46 extending into the cylinder and carrying a head element or piston 41 adjustably'secured thereon, also a helically wound spring 48 adapted to be compressed, for the storage of energy therein as the piston 41 is moved by the rod 46 from the position indicated in Fig. 3 (corresponding to the closed position of the door combination 8-||) to the position illustrated in Figure-4, the latter corresponding to the fully opened. position of the door combination. The means by which the piston rod 46 is caused to move in the manner just recited includes a sector linking the rocker bar 2| with the spring-operated rod 46; the said sector 5| also constituting a major part of the novel locking mechanism now to be described.

The novel locking mechanism includes two inter-engageable sectors 5| and 68; the sector 5| and the rocker bar 2| being formedas integral parts of a common sleeve element 52 shown best in Figure 2, wherein the said sleeve 52 is shown as carrying the sector 5| at its base, so that the lower surface thereof is adapted to rock upon and pivotally bear against the upper horizontal annular surface or shoulder of the mounting post 22 previously described. The remainder of the novel locking mechanism is shown best in Figures 5, 6, and 7 and includes a solenoid assembly 6| including a fixed magnetic core-piece 62 and a cooperating movable core-piece or plunger 63 terminating in a pivotal connection with a lever 64 one end of which is pivoted on a bracket 65 extending from the solenoid housing. Lever 64 is constantly urged toward the position indicated in Figure 7 by the torsional stress stored in a biasing spring 66, one end of which bears against the face of the solenoid housing while the other end bears against the edge of the lever 64 as clearly indicated in Figures 5, 6, and 7. The sector 68 has an apertured boss '69- for pivotal mounting upon a vertically disposed mounting pin integral with the vertical bracket shown at H in Figure 2; the said bracket being an'integral part of the base plate 20 or the auxiliary plate 23 secured thereto. The sector 68 also includes an extension 12 pivotally linked with the solenoid lever 64 by the intervening link serving to transmit to the sector '68 the rocking'motion oflever 64. A roller 16 secured to the sector 7 5| by mounting screws 11 cooperates with the and the secondary locking position being as indicated in Figure 6. In operation of the system,

the winding of solenoid. 6] is energized continually-while the vehicle is in motion; the doors 8|| are maintained closed by the pressure of the locking elements 16 and 8|, one against the other, as illustrated in Figure 5. To maintain this continuous current flow to the solenoid 6|, the switch (Figure 1) is mechanically biased to the closed position, to connect the source of current with the solenoid 6| by way of conductors 83, and 84; the circuit being completed through the grounded terminals of solenoid 6| and battery 85, respectively. When the vehicle stops, the operator depresses button 80 thus opening the circuit and de-energizing the winding of solenoid 6|. Spring 66 is now effective to shift the linkage 64, 15, 12 to the positions indicated in Figure 6, thus moving the depression 82 of the sector 68 into locking relationship with the roller 16; this being the position beyond which the mechanism can not be moved so long as the door is subjected to the pressure of a person leaning against one of the door panels; the further movement of the sector 5| (and hence any substantial opening movement of the door combination) being prevented by reason of the locking relationship of the elements 68 and 5| when in the relative positions illustrated in Figure 6. From this Figure 6 position, the element 68 can be shifted only'by release of such pressure, and therefore only when this occurs can the door actually be opened. This is true even though the spring 66 is constantly urging the sector 68 out of the looking position. Assuming the solenoid circuit is manually held open at switch 80, during this interval, the sector 68 will move to the Figure 7 position as soon as pressure on the door is released. The door may now be opened.

Afterthe doorway has been cleared the spring 43 (which had been compressed by the shifting of piston 41 to the position indicated in Figure 4 during the opening motion of the door) expands to move the piston 41 back to the original position as illustrated in Figure 3; the spring thus expending the energy which had been stored therein during the opening of the door. This return of the piston 41 swings the sector 5| and the rockerbar2| in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the drawings, and the connecting link 34 simultaneously operates by way of lever 21 and rock shaft H to return the door IO, M to the closed position; the linkage 33, 26, I6 simultaneously operating to close the door 8, 9. Meanwhile, assuming the operator of the'vehicle has released his pressure upon the switch 8|), the normal current flow to the solenoid 6| has been resumed and the linkage 64, 15, 12 will accordingly have operated to return the sector 68 to the locking position indicated inFigure 5, in which position it automatically becomes effective (in conjunction with the associated roller 16 inter-abutting therewith) to prevent a reopening of the door combinationuntil such time as a second cycle of operation is initiated by a second manual opening of the normally closed switch 80.

In parallel relationship with the normally closed switch 80 there may be provided a normally open switch 9| (see Figure 1) disposed ina housing 32 adjacent the sector 68 and having an extension 93. terminating in a roller 34 located. in the path of movement of the sector 68 and adapted to be shifted thereby into bridging relationship to the terminal contacts, .of. a pair of conductors '96 and 9 1,thereby causing current to flow to a signal light or other indicator 98, and simultaneously to a solenoid.99 operatively associated with a valve J00 controlling. the, application of fluid pressure to a brakeoperating cylinder IOI'; these two parallelcircuits from opening means, thus de-energizing the signal 98 and the solenoid 99. The de-energization of the solenoid 99 permits the valve I00 to shift to its opposite position in accordance with the standard mode of operation of conventional valves of this character. This shift of the valve produces a corresponding shift in the position of the piston in cylinder HH, and the brakes of the vehicle are thereby released; the doors of the vehicle being now in their closed position as above explained.

To insure maintenance of firm pressure on the part of sector 68 against the roller 16 when the parts are in the relative positions (doors closed) illustrated in Figure 5, the surface 8| of the sector 68 is formed on an arc whose center is offset from the center of rotation of the sector itself; and this eccentricity is in such direction with respect to the center of rotation that there is produced the effect of a camming action as the sector moves or tends to move further in a clockwise direction from the position indicated in Figure 5; that is, the efiective radius increases and thus tends to increase the abutting pressure. By reason of this relationship, the sector 68 is effective automatically to take up any play or lost motion tending to cause the roller 18 to shift and thereby relax the abutting pressure; the sector 18 automatically following any such tendency and thereby maintaining firm abutting pressure to hold the doors firmly closed.

What I claim is:

1. In a door controlling system having a door mounted to swing about a vertically disposed rock shaft, the combination of a rocking plate pivotally mounted on a rock shaft, energy storing means operated by the rocking action of said rocking plate for storage of energy during opening movement of the door, said energy being applicable by Way of said rocking plate to close the door following opening movement thereof, mechanical connections between said energy storing means and said door including said rocking plate and a linkage for transmitting to said door the rocking motion of said rocking plate, said linkage also serving to impart to said rocking plate a rocking motion in response to opening motion of said door, and means including a second rooking plate rotatable into locking relationship to said first-named rocking plate to prevent any movement of said linkage and door.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the operating surface of said second rocking plate is generated from a center offset from its center of rotation to produce an eccentricity in such direction with respect to said center of rotation as to create a camming action applicable to said first named rocking plate, to insure that both said plates will assume the position of maximum locking pressure at the conclusion of each door closing operation.

OLIVER W. WOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,259,579 Newkirk Oct. 21, 1941 2,419,964 Newkirk May 6, 1947 

